COVE

Gertrudes Commentary: While looking and packing things up from our old house I discovered this letter in my fathers' drawer. To my surprise, it was addressed to me, so I sat down and began reading it. I assume that this was written a day or two after he lost his fortune. A great wave of sadness passed over me because he was always thinking about us. As I continued to read I was a little upset that he did not disclose a reason as to why our fortune was lost so suddenly. But alas, it was such a shock that it ended up killing him. He asks me to take care of my sisters, which I have always done, but now I have to help us fight on our own. I have decided that I will drop everything and find a way to make money, as a way to fulfill my fathers last wishes, and out of my own love for my sisters. Maybe we will make a business of some sorts, I am not quite sure yet, but I must make sure that we overcome this. Tomorrow my sisters and I are heading to a funeral to say farewell to our father. I feel a deep sense of grief but I must prevail for not only my sake but my sisters’ sakes as well. Now comes the hard part where we must figure out what to do.

Editorial Commentary: 

This is a handwritten letter that is from the Victorian Era. During this time period good penmanship was essential because it was how most, if not all, communication was conducted. This type of writing is called Copperplate and is characterized by neatness, and rounded letters. It is also slanted and has very intricate capital letters (Examples of Victorian Penmanship). In the Victorian Era there were two main rules for penmanship: The Spencerian Method and The Palmer Method. The Spencerian method was used for business and can be seen in older versions of Coca-cola’s logo. The Palmer Method was intended to be faster and make writing more masculine (Druga). Furthermore, women had rules laid out for them when they were writing. Some of which were: good writing paper, a good pen with good ink, neat handwriting, and “when addressing gentlemen, watch your tone” (Matthews). In women’s penmanship itself, these rules applied to women were most likely not even considered for a man. This shows just how restricted women were in every aspect of their life, and that they were always supposed to act ladylike. Even in something as seemingly simple as writing there were gender differences. 

Citations: 

 “Examples of Victorian Era Penmanship.” Victorian Era, victorian-era.org/examples-of-victorian-era-penmanship.html. 

Druga, Melina. “Penmanship in the Victorian and Edwardina World.” Melina Druga, 17 Dec. 2020, www.melinadruga.com/the-merits-of-penmanship/. 

Matthews, Mimi. “12 Letter-Writing Rules For Victorian Ladies.” BUST, bust.com/living/19603-write-like-a-victorian-lady.html.